February 13, 2012, Club Bulletin, # 407

February 13, 2012 Program for Today: Childhood Obesity with Dr. Linda Snetselaar

February 13 Invocation by: Rick Ray

Rotary Guests: Joni Anderson, Emily Smith Outbound Student, Cara Hahn, Outbound Student and Amy Ni 3.0 Senior

Rotary Announcements: Your help would be appreciated to help long time member Stan Howe navigate the parking lot etc. to come to our meetings on Monday. Remember no meeting on February 20, 2012 and sign up now for the YPN/Rotary Guest Night on March 3, 2012 with the Bullets in the Bathtub Mystery Dinner Theatre.

Mike announced the resignation of Jeff Canfield as he accepts a new position with HyVee in Iowa City!!

Mike inducted three new members Dave Armstrong, Administrator at Lutheran Homes sponsored by Scott Ingstad, Erika Cox, Director at Power and Water by Sal LoBianco, and Rick Gosney, Officer at Central State Bank by Jim Stein. Welcome!!

Help Muscatine become a Blue Zone by signing up at http://www.bluezonesproject.com/citizens/signup or texting "BZP" to 772937. Your support is STILL needed to help us secure grant funding...sign up now!! We are at 10% of our community and it would be GREAT to have 20%.

Program for Today: Paul Kraushaar introduced Ferman Milster as the speaker and also got in his own special news...Paul's been in business here in Muscatine for 30 years and he put $30 on the table as good news!!

Ferman spoke about Greening Progress and Planning at the University of Iowa. Spending much time as the Power Plant Manager he is now looking for new sources of renewable energy. He has worked on the Biomass Fuel Project, currently looking at crops and trying to determine how they can provide a new source of fuel in order to displace coal. He is also working on Species Removal meaning killing certain plants and letting them come back in a format functional as fuel.

Sally Mason, President is hoping to spend the $10 million a year being spent on coal to be spent in the region on stimulating energy and fuel businesses and products.

Happy News: Jessica Wittman met the author of Blue Zones and is cheering us on and she also was interviewed on CBS News; Greg Kistler encouraged us to pack the gym at MHS Tuesday Night for the Girls Game..they are good!! Bob Lande is happy that his son is now engaged and Karen Diercks really enjoyed the Central Middle School play with her grandson in it. Marilyn Smith and the two outbound students shared experiences meeting fellow outbounds!!